⇆Just For The Hell of It⇄

||24|| Finale

||24||

Finale

Sunshine beamed down onto the rusted metal shutters. It was starting to get warmer outside as the days seemed to linger on. It was nearly impossible to tell what time it was. Florence shed her excess layers of clothing despite the fact that she felt dysphoric about her baby weight. Trying to get those negative thoughts out of her head, she stepped out and soaked in the warmth of the sun. She vested a salmon pink tank top on top of a nursing bra that Negan had found while raiding a maternity section, which had been, surprisingly, barely touched.

Millie was wide awake in her pram, suckling on her own fingers. The sight of her beloved daughter made Florence beam with joy. She peppered gentle kisses along Millie's soft head of hair. The baby giggled, a sound which was music to her ears.

Negan soon emerged out of the compound carrying a crate of Millie's needs. Filled to the brim were blankets, baby bottles (though Florence refused to feed her anything that wasn't her own breastmilk), diapers, a container of formula (should anything, God forbid, happen to Florence), and tons and tons of toys. Millie was four months old now, just about at her teething stage. Though she only had tiny nubs on her gums of where her teeth were going to emerge, that didn't stop her from trying to chew on everything she could get her hands on. Many of the female Saviors who had gone so long without seeing a child, left those toys for little Millie.

"That should be everything," Negan said, catching his breath. He towered over the pram to admire the light of his life.

"Hey, little one," he greeted. Every time she would come face to face with her father, Millie would form a scowl, almost mimicking him, which would soon switch over to a toothless grin. Florence couldn't help but feel her heart being pulled whenever she witnessed them bonding. She knew that Negan loved Millie, that was clear. He loved her more than anything in his life, including Florence.

The sound of gravel being crushed under car tires started to emerge and drive through the gates of the Sanctuary. The engine was kept running as the driver got out. Florence met her dear cousin's eyes as he reached in for a deep embrace.

"Are you okay?" Jesus whispered to her while still holding on to her. She simply nodded. Out of the car also came out Rick and Daryl, their hands armed with weapons aimed directly at Negan. Once Florence caught sight of this, she pulled away from the embrace got into a defensive stance.

"Don't," she snarled. Her mother's instinct to protect her beloved kicked in. Negan allowed her to carry one weapon in order for her to take care of Millie when he wasn't around. Rightfully so, she picked Grammy's gun, which was now aiming towards Rick and Daryl. What they hadn't noticed was that Negan was standing in front of the pram. They lowered their weapons as soon as they became aware.

Jesus approached his seething cousin. She had gained a healthy amount of weight. Pregnancy had treated her body well, she no longer looked to be physically suffering from how severely underweight she was. She was a completely new person than who he started this whole thing with. This, this is who she really was supposed to be.

"You're okay," Jesus appeased her. Florence lowered her gun and put it back into her holster. Once he had gotten the 'okay' look from her, Negan stepped off to the side to reveal the precious child in the pram. Jesus' face instantly lit up. The resemblance of Negan was painfully uncanny. But her jade eyes, those were no doubt passed down from her mother. Jesus approached his niece. He was cautious in every step he took as if he were crossing a minefield, absolutely terrified at the thought of setting off Florence's erratic new instincts. But she remained calm, on the outside at least.

"Hi there," Jesus cooed. He never thought he'd live to see a new family member in this world. It truly was, a miracle.

"Jesus," called Rick. "We gotta get going." A twinge of grief struck Florence as she watched Jesus load the car with their belongings. Negan, who was remaining emotionless, focused his gaze directly on Millie. Rick, Daryl, and Jesus decided staying in the car upon taking note of the unspoken tension between the pair.

Negan then scooped Millie up into his arms and cradled her for the last time. "Why, Florence?" He asked, pain clearly coaxed in his tone. She was taken aback, not by the question itself, but that he used her real name. The words that she tried to form into sentences were pure agony to the point that tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

"You know why, Negan. I'm tired of pretending. Living here is fucking hell. She deserves more than this," she replied as she glanced down at Millie.

"She needs her father. She needs someone strong to protect her."

Florence grit her teeth. Without even processing her actions, her hands were pressed on his chest and shoved him, hard. She repeated this a few more times, a string of curses escaping her. A raging fire roared in her blood, which ignited soft cries from Millie as her little face started to scrunch up in discomfort. "She doesn't need anyone but me." Florence understood the pain of having an absent father, even if he was only emotionally absent. It hurt like a bitch, but regardless, her mother pressed on. There was no question that her and Negan's relation was one fucked up mess that she jumped into head first just for the hell of it. A tiny part of her newly patched up heart will always be his, which was most apparent in the daughter they shared. But despite through the ups and downs of it all, she knew which choice she had to make.

"I'm not putting her through the same hell you put me through," she said at last. Those words had sat in her stomach, stirring around in that poisonous pit until she finally regurgitated it, which created a brand new form of relief that was foreign to her.

Negan's tough guy facade finally fell through. Her words absolutely atomized the last shred of hope he had that she would stay with him. It had never occurred to him until now the strain he put her in until after she drove away, until he was all alone once again.

Once the car was out of sight, he felt his legs struggle to keep him up. He leaned up against the metal fence to try and catch himself. His calloused hands had already started to crave Florences's touch. He started to miss the wholesome giggles of Millicent. What the fuck had he just done?

***

The car ride was the most liberating experience Florence had had in months, years even. All of the windows were down to let in the refreshing air. The mellow breeze raked through her ginger hair. The bright sun kissed her porcelain skin, allowing the freckles that peppered her body show through. In the rearview mirror, Jesus glimpsed over at his dear cousin. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of her finally relishing in the light, in the beauty of the little things of this world that he had come to appreciate. Her hand never left Millie's the entirety of the ride. Her tiny fingers were clasped onto her mother's, occasionally trying to gnaw with the teeth that were beginning to bud.

They rolled up to the gates of Hilltop after about a half hour of being on the road. The Colonists in charge of security opened up the gates for them. A multitude of confused and joyful faces looked on from a distance.

"Ready to go home?" Asked Jesus whilst glancing at her through the mirror. Florence took in the air and looked over at her little one.

"Yeah, we are."

a/n:

wow, this story was a biiiiitch to write. 

i've had mixed emotions about writing this story. at times, i loved it and wanted to keep it going. and for the other 60% of the time, i despised it because i honestly thought that i wasn't a good writer (which is probably still true) and that this story was going nowhere (this is why planning is important, kids). 

i decided to leave this story on this bittersweet note, and then a dumb idea came to me. what if i did a sequel, but this time i actually plan it out more thoroughly and maybe continue watching TWD just to find out about Negan's character arc no matter how painful its gonna be. now, i'm not going to promise anything because commitment terrifies me but now that i have more free time i've been trying to create more time for me to write (i finally have an uploading schedule). so let me guys know what you think.

also, what do you guys think about this ending? i tugged at the heartstrings a bit because i'm still playing with the idea of writing a sequel.

thank you to everyone who stuck around to read this somewhat readable trash. it honestly means the world to me, and i appreciate every single one of you. even for the people who tapped out because i wasn't uploading as frequently, thank you so much.

X,

Allieson_